I know. I know. This bit of career advice might sound like your mother nagging at you, but it’s so crucial, I can’t help it. Cheating doesn’t work. So, Lance, WTF? I am not going to list his accomplishments. You know them. Oh and you don’t care about them anymore because he did the unthinkable. He cheated. He won because he cheated and he got caught. He lost more than the awards and the endorsement money. He lost his reputation. In business it may seem like being organized, being on time, making the sale, avoiding conflict with the boss, putting in your all, are the things that are really crucial to your career. But let me tell you, above everything else, your reputation is the most important. You will make lots of mistakes (in thirty years in business I have made a gazillion) and you will bounce back. A bad presentation to the executive team. No biggie. Yelling at your boss. You will survive. Negotiating a bad contract. Yeah, it happens and you’ll know better in the future. Getting fired? Okay, it sucks, but you can turn that around, too. Unethical behavior in your work life? That will stay with you. Cheating on an expense report or taking credit for someone else’s work is just like juicing up to win the race. Any benefit you gain in the short term from breaking the rules will always be negated when you

But let me tell you, above everything else, your reputation is the most important. 

get caught. And yeah, you’ll get caught. But, getting caught actually isn’t the worst part. The worst part is that people in your work life just won’t trust you anymore. It’s a key insight about business: You want to work with people you trust. People that have your back. And once someone does something to jeopardize your trust, you’ll question their every action. Don’t be that person. Don’t put yourself in that position. Curious about whether something is unethical? If you wouldn’t tell your mom about it, you probably shouldn’t do it! But you can always write to me, and I’ll tell you “yay” or “nay.” There are a surprising number of things you can do at work that are just fine. But there a bunch that will put your reputation in the gallows in no time. Lance, thanks for the lesson.